Chapter 316: Shearing the Fat Sheep
Chapter 316: Shearing the Fat Sheep
As Liam had anticipated, when using Alchemy to integrate new skills, the higher the correlation between the new and old skills, the faster the fusion process would be.
It took only a little over a week for Liam to imprint the runes representing this new knowledge onto the bright red orb floating in his Mind Sea. This marked the initial success of integrating these skills, and the rest was a matter of using time and practice to become more familiar with these newfound powers.
When he finished with all this, he realized that this Saturday was Hogsmeade Day. During breakfast, the latest issue of the Wizarding Weekly was delivered to many hands. Rita Skeeter once again demonstrated her talent for spreading rumors, accusing Ginny of being a scheming witch who had stolen her brother's lover, while Ron was portrayed as the pitiable party who had sacrificed his beloved for his sister.
"You shouldn't have provoked Rita Skeeter during that Hogsmeade trip! She made you out to be some—some scheming witch", Ron said to his sister.
"Did you not see what that woman was doing? She was constantly trying to provoke Harry, trying to find something incriminating in his answers. I couldn't just stand by and watch Harry fall into her trap", Ginny shouted back, drawing the attention of many students.
"What a disgusting person", Ron immediately sided with his sister, sharing her indignation. This new article made everyone who knew the truth furious, and the only thing that made them feel better was that most students didn't believe Rita Skeeter. Even the Slytherins, who often used the article to provoke others, showed signs of not trusting a word she said.
After enduring the last Potions class on Friday, Liam and Hermione completed their morning Combat Practice the next day. As they left the castle, they saw the silver-white, weak sun shining over the grounds. The weather was the warmest it had been all year, marking the end of the long, harsh winter and the arrival of spring.
"What's in that box you're carrying?" Hermione asked curiously as they passed through the castle gates. Today, Liam was different from usual, carrying a beautifully crafted, pale purple box with a gold border.
"Um, it's for a relative—look—" Liam's words were somewhat vague. Hermione assumed it was an important gift he was preparing for someone. After a few more words, Hermione put the box out of her mind.
After buying snacks at Honeydukes, the two decided to take a break at the Three Broomsticks Inn.
"Hey, Harry, why are you here alone?" As they entered the bar, Liam saw Harry sitting by himself at a table. He walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Liam, Hermione, it's you two", Harry greeted them. "I came here with Ron and Ginny. Ginny went to the bathroom, and Ron is at the bar ordering food." He pointed to the bar, where Ron's red hair was unmistakable.
"I'll go get some drinks", Liam told Hermione and headed to the bar to order. When he returned with Butterbeer and chips, he saw Harry and Ron already sipping their drinks.
"Um, do you still have any of those Potions you gave me for the Tournament?" After some small talk, Harry took a deep breath and asked somewhat sheepishly.
"Of course, why do you ask?" Liam looked at Harry.
"If you have any similar Elixirs, could you sell me some? The Tournament is really dangerous. I'll pay the market price, of course", Harry hesitated before continuing.
“This isn’t like you,” Hermione said from the side. “I know you well enough to know that you’d never ask for help if you can do it yourself. Asking a competitor for potions isn’t something I’d expect you to do.”
“Alright, Hermione.” Seeing Harry’s face beginning to redden, Liam stopped Hermione from continuing. As a good friend and a reliable Shield, Liam didn’t want Harry to get seriously injured in the Tournament. He was worried that if Hermione embarrassed Harry too much, Harry might back out.
Of course, Harry’s request didn’t surprise Liam. He knew Harry had been corresponding with his godfather, Sirius Black, who could offer practical advice. For example, Sirius Black might suggest that Harry ask Liam to buy some hard-to-find potions.
Moreover, Liam was actually happy to sell his potions to Harry. After all, these potions had at least a threefold profit margin.
“I’ll give you a discount on that set of elixirs since we’re friends. You can have them for 35 Galleons. I’ll deliver them to you by next Wednesday,” Liam said. After Liam quoted the price, Harry smiled and thanked him. Sirius Black must have explained the value of the elixirs to Harry afterward, so Harry was pleased that Liam was selling him high-quality elixirs at a discount.
“By the way, I have a new elixir you might need,” Liam said as he saw Harry hand over the 35 Galleons. He quickly thought about what else he could sell to Harry to get more out of him. Soon, he remembered his latest product.
Liam took out two small glass vials from his spatial bag. Each vial, about the size of a thumb joint, was filled with two-thirds of a silvery-blue liquid. He shook them in front of Harry and asked, “Harry, do you want one of these healing potions?”
“What is it?” Harry and Ron both looked at the glass vial with puzzled expressions. Liam glanced around and then lowered his voice. “This potion is made from unicorn blood that can remove curses. Even if you suffer a fatal injury, as long as you’re not dead, drinking this will keep you alive for a full day. I got the recipe and ingredients because of my good relationship with the Centaur Whisper Tribe in the Forbidden Forest.”
“Heavens, a Life Elixir made from curse-removing unicorn blood. I always thought it was just a legend,” Ron exclaimed softly. “I read about it in a book at home. Since wizards and centaurs went their separate ways, this potion has become extremely rare. Historically, only a few wizards who were friends with centaurs had access to it. Liam, you might be the first human wizard in over a hundred years to be able to make this.”
“Is it that rare?” Harry looked at Ron, a bit puzzled.
“Absolutely. Wealthy Pureblood Families have an endless demand for such life-saving potions. I heard the Malfoy Family has one. When Draco’s grandfather obtained that elixir, he even threw a ball to celebrate. Unfortunately, the potion only prolongs life and has no effect on diseases. Over the years, that potion has probably lost its efficacy.”
“So, how much does this cost?” Harry began to worry that his wallet might not be able to cover the price after hearing Ron’s explanation.
“Three hundred Galleons,” Liam said.
“So expensive!” “So cheap!” Harry and Ron exclaimed simultaneously, but their reactions were completely different.
“Malfoy paid at least 1200 Galleons for that potion back then. So, 300 Galleons is really just the cost of the materials,” Ron explained to Harry.
“Ron is right. I’m only giving you this discount because we’re friends and both participating in the Tournament. If you want to buy a second one, it will cost you 1000 Galleons,” Liam added.
In the end, Harry gritted his teeth and bought the elixir. He also agreed with Ron not to spread the news about this purchase.
(End of Chapter)
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